EDWARDSVILLE, Ill.—Senior pitcher Missy Grover (Mishawaka, Indiana) tossed a two-hit shutout Thursday as the No. 24-ranked University of Southern Indiana softball team breezed by Wayne State University, 7-0, in the first round of the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Regional Tournament.

USI (38-16), the third seed in the tournament, plays seventh-seeded West Virginia Wesleyan College Friday. DUE TO THE THREAT OF BAD WEATHER IN THE ST. LOUIS AREA FRIDAY EVENING, THE START OF THE USI-WVWC GAME HAS BEEN MOVED TO 1 P.M.

The Screaming Eagles jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning when sophomore third baseman Kristin Eickholt (Van Wert, Ohio) doubled down the rightfield line to plate freshman rightfielder Lacey Ligmanowski (Homer Glen, Illinois). It was Eickholt's school-record 19th double of the season and team-leading 42nd RBI of the year.

USI broke the game wide open in the bottom of the fourth inning when it sent 12 batters to the plate and scored six times. The Eagles pounded out five straight hits and scored all six of their runs with two outs.

Junior second baseman Audra Lindenschmidt (Evansville, Indiana) led the inning off with a single and came around to score USI's second run when freshman centerfielder Ally McKinley (Sullivan, Indiana) hit a two-out single to right-centerfield. McKinley's hit was one of five straight two-out hits as the Eagles blew the game wide-open.

Junior utility player Nikki Nichols (Henderson, Kentucky) and sophomore leftfielder Kathy Wood (Lynnville, Indiana) each had an RBI single in the inning, while Lindenschmidt's second single of the fourth inning completed USI's scoring binge with a pair of runs. Junior first baseman Jennifer Mullikin (Greenwood, Indiana), who was 2-for-3 with a run scored, also had a hit in the fourth inning.

Grover (22-6), who retired the first seven batters she faced, allowed just five base runners and just one runner to reach second base. She struck out four batters and recorded one walk en route to her 14 victory in her last 15 starts.

If USI can defeat West Virginia Wesleyan Friday, it will play at 2:30 p.m. Saturday. A loss would put USI in the elimination bracket Saturday at 9:30 a.m.

The Eagles defeated WVWC, 7-6, earlier this season. The Bobcats advanced to the second round by defeating the second seed, Gannon University, 3-1 Thursday.